we stayed at this hotel in january for my wifes birthday.i checked a few hotels out on tripadvisor and decided on the porto santa maria,this i think was the best choice that i could have made. i payed extra for a junior suite which we were very pleased with.there is a large bedroom, bathroom and a very useful kitchenette.there was a bottle of bubbley and a large bouqet of flowers delivered on arrival which was a lovely touch. we booked 3 dinners as well as b and b, the food was plentiful and good quality the staff were all friendly and helpful .we enjoyed our stay at the porto santo hotel so much that we are going to book again as soon as possible which we have never done before.a fantastic hotel.

On the positive side, the Hotel is modern, with very pleasant public rooms and bedrooms, and in an excellent location in the Old Town of Funchal, where there are lots of good restaurants, and there is a flat walk along the seafront in to the main town.

The Cable-car and main bus stops are within 100 metres of the Hotel, and bus is an economical, simple to use and efficient way of getting around the Island - especially if, like me, you don't enjoy driving a hired car next to vertical drops.................

Breakfast was buffet-style and generous, with no attempt at any freshly-cooked food, however it was a pleasant experience on a sunny terrace or in the dining-room.

We were on 'bed and breakfast' terms, which felt a good option.

A big disappointment for us was the Hotel's description of it's "Tropical Gardens". We opted for a room with a view of these "Gardens", and ended-up overlooking a parched-looking Public Park, adjacent to the Hotel.

More concerningly, the area beneath our bedroom window was used by unfortunate homeless men, who slept on corrugated cardboard. Rows of empty beer bottles, cans and cigarette ends lined the wall each morning, and we were awakened early every morning by men shouting to each other.

'Ladies of the night' also hung around in the park.

When we asked to transfer to a room with a view of the "Tropical Gardens", a bossy and unhelpful receptionist told us that we had what we had asked for, and refused to agree that an unpleasant Public Park was NOT most people's idea of a "Tropical Garden".

After a lot of difficulty and patronising 'attitude' from the receptionist, we were transferred, a week later, to a very pleasant room overlooking the sea and the VERY SMALL "Tropical Garden", shared by a small, shallow pool and congested area for sun-loungers, where 'piped' music and noisy conversations on mobile 'phones were commonplace. Not relaxing.

In summary - it's okay, however you MUST pay the extra for a sea view, or risk an unhappy time, and avoid 'Miss Bossy' on reception!

On balance, I wouldn't trust this Hotel again.

We had our fifth holiday in this fantastic hotel at new year time. The whole place was magical with decorations. The staff are so friendly, its the same staff we see each time so this says a lot about the management of this hotel. The usual high standard of rooms and food were on offer. We really enjoyed the Gala dinner and later drinks and fireworks on the roof terrace. We will be back for a summer holiday and looking forward to that very much.

First of all, I personally don't understand why they didn't rate it as a 5 star hotel? As it is better than a lot of 5 stars I've ever stayed in. Excellent location in Funchal, exactly in the turistic center of the old city, near all the restaurants, bars. All the rooms are facing the ocean, some with front view, other ones with side view. The staff is excellent, they help you with any request you might have.
Excellent breakfast, plenty of choices, champagne, a lot of fresh fruits. The swimmingpool area looks wonderful, it's an interesting exotic garden with a lot of flowers and all kind of exotic trees. The view from the balcony, especially at sunrise, worth a lot!
They also provide taxi service to the airport and it's cheaper than the usual taxi fare.
There are a lot of restaurants near the hotel and this area is now much more populated than the other side of the city where most of the big hotels are located. That are was empty,no one in the street, and we didn't also see anyone at the hotel's swimmingpools either.
For a relaxing holiday, a relaxing atmosphere, also for having a great sunbath during the winter, we reccomend Porto Santa Maria Hotel in Funchal! We will definately visit Funchal next winter and for sure we will chose the same hotel!